Loose-leaf binder.



0. 1). TRUSSELL. LOOSE LEAF BINDER.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 16, 1911.

1,032,, 1 66a Patented July 9, 1912.

Wren snares Parana ora ion.

CLARENCE D. TRUSSELL, OF POUGHKEEPSIE, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO TRUSSELL MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF IPOUGHKEEPSIE, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

LOOSE-LEAF BINDER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July9, 1912.

Original application filed June 1, 1911, Serial No. 630,660. Divided and this application filed August 16,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CLARENCE D. TRUS- SELL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Poughkeepsie, in the county of Dutchess and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Loose-Leaf Binders, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to means for binding together groups of sheets which are to be collectively bound into a temporary binder, preferably of the ring type.

For certain purposes, and particularly for sheet music, it is desirable to unite permanently a group of leaves or folios, and to be able to place such group with other groups temporarily in a binder forming a cover or portfolio. Thus for sheet music it is desirable to unite permanently the leaves of each musical composition; and it is desirable for the musician to have one or more binders or covers in which he may temporarily bind any desired collection of such compositions. This arrangement admits of appropriately classifying the musical selections, or of conveniently segregating certain selections from the others of a collection for the purposes of any given concert for example.

For sheet music and for some other purposes, it is especially desirable that the sheets shall lie flat when turned. For this it is preferable that they shall be able to open completely to the middle fold or flexible hinge uniting the sheets.

To attain this result is one object of my invent-ion.

To these ends my invention provides for permanently uniting the group of leaves by means of a backing strip of flexible fabric, preferably woven fabric suitably stifi'ened, which is folded along its middle, is gummed on either side for attachment to it of the leaves, and has binding holes formed through "it on each side of its middle fold, so that these holes coincide when it is folded together. Preferably two or more such strips are united by stitching" or other means, so that four or more leaves or sheets may be united. The strips are formed with a weakened line on which they fold, forming a pliable joint or hinge, and enabling mg or closin Serial No. 644,391.

them to lie flat when opened while held in the ring binder.

Referring to the accompanying drawings,Figure l is a fragmentary view showing the backing strips opened flat and a fragment of sheet music gummed thereto; Fig. 2 is an end or edge elevation of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a similar elevation showing the ring binder with a plurality of groups of sheets temporarily bound together therein; Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing the backing strips slightly modified; Fig. 5 is a fragmentary front view of another construction, of which Fig. 6 is an edge view; Fig. 7 is an edge view of still another construction. Fig. 8 is a fragmentary front view, and Fig. 9 an edge view of still another construction.

Referring first to Figs. 1 and 2, let A A desi nate sheets of music or other leaves 7 and let B designate the backing strip or strips. Two strips are shown in these figures. These strips may be made of suitably tough paper, but are preferably of a thin flexible woven fabric suitably stiffened, as by starch, and gummed on one surface for attachment to the sheets A. The strip is provided with pairs of holes a a for receiving the binding rings. Each strip is creased or folded down the middle, being weakened along this fold either by the creasing alone, or by a line of perforations, or by other means, so'that this weakened line forms a sort of flexible hinge or pliable joint on which the strip may fold in open and which thus permits the sheet to lie at when opened. Ordinarily two or more strips are employed, these being united in any suitable substantially permanent manner which will not interfere with the free folding of the strips. In the preferred construction shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the strips are united by a line of stitching, the stitches b b servlng as the pliable unitin' means, while the needle holes 0 0 made function in weakening the strips along the hinge line. The portion of each stripbetween the hinge fold and its edge forms a sort of stub to which the sheet A is to be permanently united by suitable gum. Preferably the gum is applied to the strip. The

y the stitching serve an additional The construction shown in Fig. 4: is preferred, but as it involves considerably more expense than that shown in Fig. 1, the latter is more suitable where cheapness is an object. A. gage line may optionally be provided to indicate how far the edge of the sheet A should overlap the backing strip B; in Fig. 4 the edge of the strip 6 serves this purpose; in Fig. 5 the same purpose is served by the edge of the strip of gum in Fig. 1 no special gage is provided, but the holes a a serve suitably the purpose of a gage.

Instead of uniting the backing strips by stitching, they may be united by wire clasps-or other fastening means. In Figs. 5 and 6, f are wire staples or clasps such as are used in book binding which serve for uniting the strips. In this figure also the weakening of the hinge line is accom lished by perforations or indentations 0', w ereby the requisite pliability is attained for enabling the sheets to lie flat when opened.

In Fig. 7, a modified mode of stitching for uniting the strips is shown, the strips beingfirst folded together and then unitedlby stitching at b in a line closely adjacent to and parallel with the fold. This is a suitable construction, but less advantageous than that shown in the preceding figures, as

the stifl ness'of the strips causes them to afford some resistance to opening fiat. This is however so trifling a disadvantage thutthe construction here shown is quite suitable for most purposes.

In Fig. 3 is shown an example of an ordinary ring binder for use with the backing strips provided by my invention. C is one of the binding rings constructed as usual of two half rings or hopks having any of the well known mounting means Whereb when closed together they remain so, an when .opened out to admit the insertion or removal of the sheets, they retain also this position. The ring when closed is preferably circular or approximately so. D is the book cover which is permanently united to the rings Cin any of the known ways. I E is the usual back plate or shield within the book cover, and which serves to conceal the mounting of the rings and keep the bound sheets out of contact with such mounting. Any number of rings G may be used, three being the customary number.

An important feature of the invention is found in the special correlation between the binding 'holes a a in the backing strips and the rings 0 of the binder. 'It is important that when the sheets are turned when bound in the binder, they shall turn freely, and when opened shall lie fiat. It is also important that when the binder is somewhat crowded by the introduction of numerous groups of sheets up to its maximum practicable capacity, the sheets shall still turn freely and lie flat. Except for this last requisite, the pairs of holes a; a might be spaced apart so as to coincide with a diametrical section of the binding ring, that is to say, with the opposite sections of the ring when out by a plane intersecting the centers of the circular or approximately circular rings; this proportion would accomplish the desired result when only a few groups of sheets are introduced in the binder such as shown in Fig. 3, that is to say, when the binder holds much less than its full capacity; but if the binder were crowded with sheets to nearly its full capacity, such proportion would render it diflicult or almost impossible to freely turn the sheets, because the hinge fold of the backing strips instead of being ideally coincident with the centers of the rings would be crowded upwardly toward the upper portion or joint of the rings, and this would leave insufficient room for the turning movement. For this reason my invention in its preferred form provides that the holes a a for each ring shall be closer together when the backing strip is opened out than would correspond with the diametrical section of the rings. The effect of this is clearly shown in Fig. 3, 100 where the uppermost groups which are shown partly open and lying flat are upheld by the oblique contact of the backing strips adjacent to their holes a a with the rings. The hinge fold consequently is maintained 1 Well above the center of the rings, so that the minimum room is required for folding overthe sheets.

My invention is susceptible of considerable modification without departing from its 110 essential features, which are set forth in the claims. For example the backing strips may be otherwise folded and joined together by stitching or other fastening means otherwise applied, and other means may be provided 115 for fastening the leaves or sheets to the free edges of the backing strips; provided always that the strips shall be adapted for engagement with a ring binder or equivalent binding means, and that the binding strips shall 120 be so folded or weakened as to form such a hinge fold as will enable the bound sheets to open wide and lie fiat when bound into the ring binder. An example of one such modification which however is less desirable than the forms .previously described, is shown in Figs. 8 and 9. Thetwo backing strips B are here shown as united by stitching 6" or other equivalent fastening means, Which instead of coinciding with the middle fold of the backing strips, is removed therefrom sufliciently to escape the binding holes a, thus leaving beyond the line of stitching the free edge portions of the strips to which the sheets A are to be gummed. It results from this construction that the line of stitching 6 forms a weakened line or hinge fold which causes the free portions of the strips to bend readily along this line, so that when the sheets are attached to the backing strips they hinge upon this weakened line, and when in place in the binder open flat to the hinge fold. In Fig. 9 the binding ring is shown at C in dotted lines. Where an odd sheet is to be attached, a half strip B may be provided as shown, being fastened in be tween the others by the stitching.

I claim as my invention 1. A means for permanently uniting a group of leaves to be removably bound in a binder of the ring type, consisting of a backing strip of flexible fabric folded along its middle, and adapted to open flat, gummed for attachment to it of said leaves, and having binding holes formed through it on each side of its middle fold, said holes coinciding when folded, whereby in use the leaves open flat to the middle fold.

2. A means for permanently uniting a group of leaves to be removably bound in a binder of the ring type, consisting of a backing strip of flexible fabric folded along its middle, and weakened along said fold to facilitate bending on said fold, said strip gummed for attachment to it of said leaves, and having binding holes formed through it on each side of its middle fold, said holes coinciding when folded, whereby in use the leaves open flat to the middle fold.

3. A means for permanently uniting a group of leaves to be removably bound in a binder of the ring type, consisting of a backing strip of flexible fabric folded along its middle, and weakened along said fold by a line of perforations to facilitate bending on said fold, said strip gummed for attachment to it of said leaves, and having binding holes formed through it on each side of its middle fold, said holes coinciding when folded, whereby in use the leaves open flat to the middle fold.

4. A means for permanently uniting a group of leaves to be removably bound in a binder of the ring type comprising backing strips of flexible fabric folded along their middles and attached to one another along a weakened line' so as to be adapted to open flat, said strips gummed for attach ment of said leaves, and having binding holes formed through them on each side of such middle fold, said holes coinciding when folded, whereby in use the leaves open flat to the middle fold.

5. A means for permanently uniting a group of leaves to be removably bound 1n a binder of the ring type, comprising a backing strip of flexible fabric folded along its middle and having a longitudinal line of stitching, and adapted to open flat to such stitching, said strip gummed for attachment to said leaves, and having binding holes to engage the binding rings.

6. A means for permanently uniting a group of leaves to be removably bound in a binder of the ring type, comprising backing strips of flexible fabric folded along their middles and attached by a'line of stitches so as to be adapted to open flat to such stitches, said strips gummed for attachment of said leaves, and having binding holes formed through them to engage the binding rings, whereby in use the leaves open flat to the line of stitching.

7. A means for permanently uniting a group of leaves to be removably bound in a binder of the ring type, comprising a backing strip of flexible fabric folded together along its middle, having binding holes formed through it, said fabric weakened along a longitudinal line to form a hinge fold, and its edge portions beyond said line free or unattached and adapted for the attachment thereto of the leaves ofsaid group, and adapted when bound in such binder to permit the leaves to open flat.

8. A means for permanently uniting a group of leaves to be removably bound in a binder of the ring type, comprising backing strips of flexible fabric permanently united having binding holes formed through them, said fabric weakened along a longitudinal line to form a hinge fold, and the edge portions thereof beyond said line free or unattached and adapted for the attachment thereto of the leaves of said group, and adapted when bound in such binder to permit the leaves to open flat.

9. The combination with a ring binder of backing strips of flexible fabric folded along their middles having binding holes through them for receiving the rings of the binder, the fabric of said backing strips weakened each along a longitudinal line to form a hinge fold, and the edge portions of each strip beyond said line being free or unattached and adapted for the attachment thereto of the leaves to be bound together, and adapted to open flat to such weakened line, whereby in use in the hinder the leaves when opened lie flat.

10. The combination with a ring binder of. a backing strip folded along its, middle and having binding holes formed through it on each side of its middle fold, said holes coinciding when folded, and said holes spaced apart when unfolded less than the diametrical measurement of the closed rings.

11. The combination with a ring binder of backing strips of flexible fabric folded alongtheir middles and attached together so as to be ada ted to open flat, and having signed my name in the presence of two subbilding liloles f rmed fthrough them on each scribing Witnesses. si e of t eir mi dle olds said holes coinciding when folded, and said holes spaced CLARENCE TRUSSELL' .5 apart when unfolded less than the diamet- Witnesses:

ric'al measurement of the closed rings. ALLEN FRosT,

In witness whereof, I have hereunto HAROLD F. STYLES. 

